Learn English Collection—Intermediate Level: Short Stories, Vocabulary & Dialogues

By Jackie Bolen

Improve your English vocabulary with the Learn English Collection—Intermediate Level. 

 

This collection consists of three books: 

• Short Stories in English 
• Intermediate American English for Everyone (vocabulary builder)
• Intermediate English Dialogues 

Jackie Bolen has fifteen years of experience teaching ESL/EFL to students in South Korea and Canada. With her help, you'll improve your English vocabulary in no time at all! 

 

This 3-book collection will help you . . .

• Have thousands of phrases, expressions, and idioms at your fingertips.
• See how they are used in real life.
• Improve your American English.
• Speak English fluently and confidently.
• Have some fun while learning English.
• Get better at reading comprehension
• Increase your confidence in English.
• Improve your TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS score.

Pick up your copy of the Learn English Collection—Intermediate Level today! Get ready to improve your skills with expressions and phrases, phrasal verbs and idioms as well as reading comprehension. Get the English results you want.  

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jackie Bolen
• Release date: May 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781393076834

Book preview

Learn English Collection—Intermediate Level:

Short Stories, Vocabulary & Dialogues

Jackie Bolen

www.eslspeaking.org

Copyright © 2022 by Jackie Bolen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher/author at the following address: Jackie Bolen: [e-mail].

Table of Contents

Learn English Collection—Intermediate Level............................................1

About the Book ..................................................................4

About the Author: Jackie Bolen......................................................5

Short Stories in English for Intermediate Level ESL/EFL Learners..........................6

Intermediate American English for Everyone.........................................111

Collocations.................................................................114

Idioms .....................................................................143

Phrasal Verbs................................................................160

Slang......................................................................176

Intermediate English Dialogues....................................................194

About the Book

Welcome to this book designed to improve your English vocabulary. Use it consistently and expect to see some great results! This collection consists of three books:

−  Short Stories in English

−  Intermediate American English for Everyone

−  Intermediate English Expressions

I hope that you find this book useful! Please get in touch with any questions or comments that you might have ([e-mail]).

About the Author: Jackie Bolen

I taught English in South Korea for 10 years to every level and type of student. I've taught every age from kindergarten kids to adults. Most of my time has centered around teaching at two universities: five years at a science and engineering school in Cheonan, and four years at a major university in Busan where I taught upper-level classes for students majoring in English. In my spare time, you can usually find me outside surfing, biking, hiking, or snowshoeing. I now live in Vancouver, Canada where I teach a variety of English classes.

In case you were wondering what my academic qualifications are, I hold a Master of Arts in Psychology. During my time in Korea, I completed both the Cambridge CELTA and DELTA certification programs. With the combination of fifteen years teaching ESL/EFL learners of all ages and levels, and the more formal teaching qualifications I've obtained, I have a solid foundation on which to offer advice to English learners.

I truly hope that you find this book useful. I would love it if you sent me an email with any questions or feedback that you might have.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/eslspeaking

YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/jackiebolen

Email: [e-mail]

You might also be interested in this book: Advanced English Conversation Dialogues. You can find it wherever you like to buy books. It has hundreds of helpful English phrases and expressions that can be used in a wide variety of situations. Learn to speak more fluently in American English.

Short Stories in English for Intermediate Level ESL/EFL Learners

Jackie Bolen

www.eslspeaking.org

How to Use this Book

This book is ideal for people who want to improve their reading comprehension skills and vocabulary. Or for people who are preparing to move to Canada and want to learn a little bit about the culture before doing that.

To get the most bang for your buck, I recommend doing the following:

−  Read one story a day, instead of all the stories in a single day! The best readers are those who do it consistently each day.

−  Be sure to do the questions for each story.

−  Pay attention to the vocabulary words in bold (letters that are darker). Try to guess the meaning of the word, considering the other words in the sentence before looking it up in a dictionary. After that, write down any words that you don't know in a notebook to review later. Also consider making flashcards for these new words.

−  Read the stories with a friend if possible. Discuss the questions together.

−  If you're using this book to improve your TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS reading scores, be sure to read the questions first so you can scan for the answers instead of reading every single word. After doing this, take more time to read the story in full.

Min-Gyu is Going to Canada

Reading strategy focus: Look at the questions (see below the story) first. Think about the key words in each question and what kind of information you'll need to find in the story.

Min-Gyu is having trouble sleeping. He is going to be leaving Korea for the first time the next morning. Actually, that isn't 100% correct. He had gone to Japan when he was in high school with his classmates. But, this would be his first time traveling alone. That's why he's so nervous.

Min-Gyu is flying to Vancouver at 1:30 pm. He will start English classes in a few days. Of course, he doesn't plan to only study. He wants to experience Canadian culture, visit Stanley Park, try Canadian food and maybe skiing in Whistler. He'd love to see the Rocky Mountains too. And hopefully make some friends from other countries to practice his English with. Maybe even find try online dating with some Canadians! 

His parents and brother are going to take him to the airport in a couple of hours. Some of his close friends will be there too. He thinks he'll probably cry, which might be kind of embarrassing. He's twenty years old now, not a child. It will be difficult to say goodbye. He's known these friends his entire life, since elementary school.

Right now, he's checking to make sure he has everything he needs. Passport, phone charger, power converter, Korean snacks, laptop and cord. A book for the plane. A sweater in case it's cold. He's ready to go. His suitcase is very heavy though because he has everything he needs for a year.

His mom says, Min-Gyu. Do you have everything? Are you ready? He answers, Yes, mom. I've got everything. His mom responds, "Come have some lunch. I've made your favourite—kimchi stew." His family eats lunch together. Everyone is quiet and not talking that much. They're thinking about Min-Gyu leaving for one year and how much they'll miss each other.

After lunch, his family starts bringing his things to the car. His parents look sad. He feels very sad too but also excited about his new life in Canada. The drive to Incheon airport together, listening to pop songs on the radio. Min-Gyu looks out the window. So many thoughts are going around inside his head.

Finally, they arrive at the airport. Everyone is bustling around, getting his luggage out of the car and taking pictures. He sees his friends who are already there. Min-Gyu gets his ticket at the check-in machine and drops off his luggage. It's time to go through immigration. He quickly hugs everyone goodbye and tries not to cry. He looks back one last time before he goes through the door and waves. He's ready to start his adventure in Canada.

Vocabulary

nervous: Worried or anxious feeling.

a couple of hours: Two hours.

entire life: From birth to the present time. For Min-Gyu, from 0-20 years (he's 20 years old now).

power converter: Something that allows you to use an electronic device in a different country, even if the plug shape/size is different.

suitcase: A kind of bag that people take on a trip or vacation. Square or rectangle shape.

stew: A kind of food. Like a soup but thicker.

thoughts: Ideas or opinions, inside your mind.

Comprehension Questions

Where is Min-Gyu going? Why?

Who is taking him to the airport?

Has he traveled alone before?

How does Min-Gyu feel today?

Why is his suitcase heavy?

Who does he want to practice English with?

Answers

He's going to Canada to study English.

His parents and brother are taking him to the airport.

No, he's never traveled alone.

He feels sad, excited, and nervous.

His suitcase is heavy because he has many things. He's going to Canada for one year.

He hopes to practice English with some friends from other countries.

Synonym Practice: Think of two other words or phrases that have the same meaning as the vocabulary words from the story. Do NOT look at the definitions again, if possible.

suitcase: _____, _____

nervous: _____, _____

thoughts: _____, _____

Summarize the Story

Using 1-2 sentences, summarize the story. Include only the main details and key events.

Summary:

––––––––

New Words

Write down any new words that you learned from this story. Consider writing them in a vocabulary notebook or making some flashcards for further review.

-

-

-

Let's Talk More

Talk with a friend or classmate about these questions. If you're studying alone, write down 2-3 sentences for each question.

Have you ever been to another country by yourself? What was that experience like?

Would you like to study English in another country? Why or why not?

What do you think are some things that Min-Gyu will miss about Korea?

Have you ever felt really nervous about something you were going to do? What was it?

Who is That?

Reading strategy focus: Scan the story quickly (set a timer for 30 seconds). Answer this question: Jay will meet the woman that he noticed (T/F). See answer below the story. Then, read the questions and read the story again, more slowly.

Jay was at the movie theater with his two friends, Keith and Tony. They were going to watch the new Superman movie. It was popular and difficult to get tickets to. But his friend Keith reserved some online for them. He was good at doing stuff like that.

They had to wait in line at the theater to pick up their tickets. It was a Friday night so it was quite busy. Just in front of them was a group of women, around the same age as them. Jay noticed one of the women in front of him. She had long, beautiful hair and was wearing nice jeans and a sweater. Who is that?, he thought to himself, She is beautiful.

Jay was lost in his own thoughts about the woman in front of him and not listening to his friends. Keith and Tony laughed loudly at a joke and the woman turned around to see who was laughing. She looked at all of them and then smiled at Jay. They made eye contact and he smiled back. Jay wanted to talk to her but he was nervous so he didn't.

They finally got their tickets and went to the concession to get some drinks and popcorn for the movie. Jay told his friends about this beautiful woman. They said that he should go say hi but he knew that he never would! He was too shy to do that kind of thing. His friends said he was making a mistake and that he'd regret it.

They got their popcorn and drinks and Tony grabbed a napkin. He asked someone who worked at the movie theater for a pen. Jay thought it was strange to be asking for a pen at the movie theater but didn't pay attention to him. Tony asked Jay to show him which woman he thought was beautiful. He pointed her out, sitting on a bench, waiting for the movie to start. Tony walked over and handed her the napkin.

Jay said, TONY! What did you do? Tony said, "I wrote down your name and phone number on the napkin and said that you wanted to go on a date with her. You're welcome!

Hahahaha!"

Then, they had to go into the movie theater. They sat down and Jay's phone buzzed. It was the woman, introducing herself. She said that they should go for a drink after the movie. Jay quickly said yes and they made plans to meet at a pub that was very close to the movie theater. Jay was excited and could hardly concentrate on the movie! It seemed to go on forever.

––––––––

Reading strategy focus answer: True

Vocabulary

reserved: Booked ahead of time. For example, tickets or a table at a restaurant.

pick up: Get something or someone from somewhere.

lost in his own thoughts: Thinking about something, not paying attention to other people; daydreaming.

eye contact: When two people look directly into each other's eyes.

concession: A place to buy snacks or drinks at a movie theater or sports event.

shy: Finds it difficult to talk to people, especially people they don't know well.

buzzed: Made a sound or vibration, usually refers to a cellphone when you get a message.

Comprehension Questions

Who got the tickets for them?

Who noticed the beautiful woman?

When did Jay first notice her?

How did Jay get her phone number?

Is Jay going to meet the woman?

Do you think that Tony is a good friend? Why?

Answers

Keith reserved the tickets.

Jay noticed the woman.

He noticed her when they were standing in line at the movie theater.

Tony gave Jay's phone number to the woman on a napkin.

Yes, Jay is going to meet the woman after the movie.

(many answers possible).

Synonym Practice: Think of two other words or phrases that have the same meaning as the vocabulary words from the story. Do NOT look at the definitions again, if possible.

pick up : _____, _____

concession: _____, _____

shy: _____, _____

Summarize the Story

Using 1-2 sentences, summarize the story. Include only the main details and key events.

Summary:

––––––––

New Words

Write down any new words that you learned from this story. Consider writing them in a vocabulary notebook or making some flashcards for further review.

-

-

-

Let's Talk More

Talk with a friend or classmate about these questions. If you're studying alone, write down 2-3 sentences for each question. There is no correct answer—give your opinion!

Would you ever do something similar to what Tony did?

Have you met a boyfriend or girlfriend on a dating app? How about in real life?

What are some